


Interlaced Kismet

by PrincipessaBel



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Other, Swearing, oc-insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-07
Updated: 2016-09-25
Packaged: 2018-08-07 05:53:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7703059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincipessaBel/pseuds/PrincipessaBel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From her point of view, he was divine and god-like. The wind-swept golden blonde hair. The vivid green irises. The flawlessly attractive face. "Well, that's a first." He proudly said to her in English. "I've never seen a foreigner seethe in disgust at the Eiffel for all my life."</p><p>[College AU] [OC-Insert] [Marinette Dupain-Cheng x Adrien Agreste x OC]</p><p>//Ratings may change upon the progression of the story</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Unlucky First Day

**Author's Note:**

> Yep. I'm inlove with Miraculous and whether it's in French, Korean or English, I just really love everything about it so I decided to contribute to the fandom!
> 
> Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Adrien Agreste and the other characters are not mine. They are the wonderful brain-childs of their respective creators. Sarabella Morin is my OC. [Let's hope she doesn't turn into a Mary Sue. I know we all hate them.]
> 
> This isn't all about the Adrien x OC, though. As much as I despise the lack of Adrien x OC (yes, I'm that thirsty lol I'm not even ashamed of that hahaha) in the fandom, I'd like to make this an experimental thing where Marinette and Adrien and the whole class is out of College, finished their Lycees and into university life. I mean, what could go wrong, right?
> 
> PS. Both still have their respective Kwamis and they're still fighting crime together. I can't bear to remove that in my storyline because LadyNoir is just... OTP! *insert hearts and moe here*   
> PPS. This work of mine is also available in FF . net under the same username of PrincipessaBel so if you've seen an exact copy of my work that's not under that pseudonym, please so report it to me immediately, that you!
> 
> Aight, into the story then! Sorry for my ramblings, my royalties.

**An Unlucky First Day**

* * *

 

The black-haired girl looked around the peculiar interior of Charles de Gaulle Airport. The arched ceiling gave off an intimidating aura for her as she had never seen a curvilinear design like that in person. She opened her DSLR camera and took photos for her archive. _Damn, those curves sure are gorgeous_ , she thought. The other tourists look at her with amused glances. Never have they ever seen a woman of her age and stature to be so open about her enthusiasm towards the design of the building. After a while of snapping pictures, she started walking excitedly towards the exit of the airport and whispered to herself, "After eighteen hours of flight… Paris, France! I'm _finally_ here!"

With her incoming jetlag postponed due to her eagerness to travel, the ravenette newcomer first stopped at a shop, buying herself a SIM card with load for her phone and a croissant and coffee for her breakfast. She hailed a cab and seated herself comfortably, telling the driver that she intended to go to the Eiffel Tower, one of Paris' famous landmarks. The woman munched on her pastry while putting in the number of her cousin on her phone, dialing it and waiting for response.

"Hello, Christa Olivier from Agreste Designs Inc. speaking." Came the terse greeting of her cousin.

She was glad that it wasn't voice mail and animatedly asked, "Christa, are you busy?"

There was silence from the other side of the line then a muffled 'what'. "Sarabella, is that you?" Her cousin asked with a hesitant tone.

"Yep!" Sarabella smiled despite knowing that her cousin won't be able to see her.

A livid gasp was heard but the ravenette took it as a sign of surprise. "Why do you have a France-registered number?" Her cousin questioned cautiously.

"Oh, I just bought a SIM card here at the airport." She explained enthusiastically, not minding the mortified expressions her cousin showed her through the phone call. "I didn't know it was a lot more expensive back at home." Sarabella added.

"Wait. You're here in Paris?!"

" _Oui_!" She answered in French confidently, "Surprise!"

"You are currently here in Paris?!" Christa repeated doubtfully. Sarabella finished her croissant and tucked the pastry paper on her bag, careful to not litter on her first day in Paris.

"Yeah. Wanna meet up? My itinerary's blank until Sunday!" Sarabella said, remembering that her working days are Mondays, Wednesday afternoons, Thursdays and Fridays while her culinary classes are Tuesdays, Wednesday mornings and Saturdays. And considering that she planned to come to France three days early from the start of her work as an architect and studies as a student, Sarabella decided she'll familiarize herself first with the surroundings and adjust to Parisian living.

"No, I can't join you." Christa replied abruptly. "I have photoshoots today."

She gave out a disappointed groan, "How about tomorrow?"

"Runway shows and events. _I still can't_."

"Alright then." The ravenette understood her cousin's reasons. _Being a fashion designer and a model in such a blooming industry must've put Christa in a very stressful state right now_ , she thought understandingly, _I hope she'll get through it_. "Text me if you want to meet up. I'm free on Wednesday afternoons and Sundays." Christa ended the call.

With a sigh, Sarabella peeked at the windows and stared the Eiffel's ginormous profile despite the slight distance. "Well... I guess I get to see the Eiffel Tower by myself."

* * *

Upon arriving at the famous landmark, she paid for her fare and bought herself a detailed map of Paris and its other popular places. Sarabella walked for several minutes and stopped at the best spot to observe the Eiffel.

Being a newly graduated architect at the age of twenty-one, she developed a habit of scrutinizing and criticizing every minor and major detail of a structure. The Eiffel tower is no exception. "Eugh." She grunted in disgust while eyeing at the figure. "My professors are right. It _is_ ugly."

"What's ugly, _ma Chèrie_?" A heavily-accented voice asked her from behind.

Being busy with imagining and re-imagining a proper design for the landmark, Sarabella absent-mindedly answered, "The Eiffel tower."

There was a chuckle from the direction of the voice and Sarabella was diverted from the structure to the handsome young man that laughed at her from behind. From her point of view, he was _divine_ and _god-like_. The wind-swept golden blonde hair. The vivid green irises. The flawlessly attractive face. "Well, that's a first." He proudly said to her in English. "I've never seen a foreigner seethe in disgust at the Eiffel for all my life."

"Oh." She dumbly replied, still ogling at his perfect beauty. She realized that, aside from the taxi driver and airport attendants, he is the first Parisian that had ever initiated a casual conversation. She also realized that this conversation started because she called the Eiffel 'ugly'. "I'm so sorry, handsome boy!" The black-haired foreigner blurted out due to embarrassment and fear of further humiliation.

"Handsome boy?" The blonde French repeated, amused by her reply.

The architect once again realized what she has said and knew it was a situation where there is no point of turning back. _Oh crap. Good job, Sarabella._ She thought to herself sarcastically. _What a pleasant impression to give to a Parisian, a handsome Parisian at that. What an unlucky first day!_


	2. The Distressed Foreigner

It was only mid-day, around ten o' clock in the morning. The fresh air was cooling and refreshing. The busy streets of Paris was humming and buzzing with liveliness and vivacity. However, the current scene happening to Adrien was not his ideal scenario when he told himself that he'll just take a relaxing walk near the Eiffel Tower. A black-haired girl had her hands clasped tightly, her face scrunched up in an apologizing expression and repeatedly shrieked in desperation, 'I'm really sorry!' infront of the handsome native.

The young man didn't know what to do to the woman's current state of distress. Trying to calm her down, even for a bit, was his first priority. He kept telling her that it's fine and that she shouldn't worry so much. The amount of shame she has was astonishingly amazing and, at the same time, astonishingly exasperating.

She frowned for a bit then looked at the Parisian, "Let me buy you a croissant.. Or a baguette, at least!" She offered, quickly adding her sentence before Adrien can cut her, "I'm really sorry for insulting something that's a part of your history!"

"It's fine, it's fine!" He replied humbly, hiding his slight frustration from the foreigner. For him, it was too early in the morning to get harassed like this. "Don't beat yourself too much, alright?"

"But it's really embarrassing!" She cried out in unbearable guilt. He get why she's very embarrassed but her reaction was too much to handle.

At some point, it was endearing to think that a foreigner cares deeply about how she could offend a native by just calling the Eiffel ugly. On the other hand, however, it's very irksome to think that people can sometimes _care too much_ about their reputation, especially on unfamiliar waters. "Drop it already, okay?" The Parisian model frustratedly replied.

"Where's the best bakery here?" The young woman asked, quickly changing the topic.

"Uh..." He racked his brain for possible bakeries that he might recommend because that might have the woman calm down and leave him be on his mid-morning walk. Adrien then realized that his former-classmate, Marinette, owns an actual bakery. "I would suggest you go to Tom and Sabine's Boulangerie Patisserie if you want the best cakes and pastries."

Her face lit up and asked in weirdly-accented French, " _C'est près d'ici_?*"

The boy took about a few seconds before he processed what she said. " _C'est tout près.**_ " He replied patiently, smiling at her with a dashing grin.

"We're going there." The foreigner stated, no hesitations were seen from her face and her voice.

"Uhm. Why?" The Parisian asked incredulously. _Now, she's just being irrational_ , he thought to himself, _damn, I'm so unlucky today_.

"I'm buying you a croissant… or whichever pastry you like."

"No need." He tried reassuring her, "I swear, I'm alright with it."

"Please? Let me make it up to you." She looked at him with wide pleading eyes, frantic to correct her _offense_.

"Alright, alright… I give up." He sighed, knowing that he'll be fighting a losing battle if he insisted to reject her offer. _Perhaps a croissant or two may cool her head_. "We're going there."

The ravenette looked more than happy to finally do something to make up for her mistake. She started walking at the opposite direction to where the patisserie is and Adrien forced himself to not chuckle when she realized that she didn't know where the bakery is. "Please lead the way." She told him meekly, tints of red dusting her cheeks.

The French nodded at her, smiling at the fact that she seemed to have calmed down. "I take it that you've only just came here?" He asked, trying to make casual conversation so the walk to Marinette's place wouldn't be _that_ awkward.

"Oui." She nodded and avoided looking at Adrien directly in the eye. "It's my first day here… It's only been a few hours since I arrived in Paris and you see how that's turning pretty humiliating." She mumbled in annoyance to herself but he caught every word of it.

He laughed at her slightly snarky response to the happenings. That was the first time he actually saw her as a normal person rather than that mess of a distressed foreigner. "At least you get to acquire an acquaintance."

She finally looked at him in the eye, her dark brown orbs sparkling with joy. "You'll consider me as an acquaintance?"

"Sure. Why not?" Adrien answered nonchalantly. Despite the chaos she presented earlier, Adrien knew she wasn't faking her genuine repentance. He can also verify that she had no idea on who or what he does in Paris, considering that she didn't ask for photos or diverted their conversation to him or asked for an autograph. She was the first person, on that day, to actually treat him as a normal adult, instead of the handsome celebrity the other people see him as. " _It's not every day that I meet someone who doesn't see me as the popular handsome guy._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation Notes:  
> *Is it near here?  
> **It is very close.
> 
> Forgive my French. I searched for phrases and just went crazy on copying and pasting this. Please tell me if I got things wrong! I'm always open to constructive criticisms, don't worry! So, I hope you liked the chapter and I hope you enjoy the story so far! But wait-
> 
> If you like the story, please leave a comment or a kudos in this story. I love reading comments and it makes me very very inspired!


	3. Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie

It was a small and humble patisserie, Sarabella noted. She took in every crenulation and detail the shop has to show. _Not bad_ , she thought. For a minute, she had forgotten the attractive native, who sat across her from the small round table. They were waiting for their orders so the ravenette assumed that looking around and scrutinizing the specifics would create a different perception on what she already know in the field of her career.

Unknown to her, Adrien was taking in every last bit of facial feature she has. He started from the mop of slightly wavy black hair that stopped a little bit past her shoulders. It wasn't too silky and it wasn't too luscious to look at. Her eyebrows were thick yet it curved in such a manner that it looks gorgeous as it is. The eyes were not too big or too small for her over-all look and those deep brown eyes showed the native a lot about her personality. He can see the excitement that her orbs showed because it seems to have been sparked with interest for the last several minutes already.

What had the French model gaze at her dreamily were her eyelashes and lips. The foreigner's long eyelashes curved upwards, darkened and highlighted with mascara. Her lips were full and it's shape was accented perfectly with her lipstick, tinted with a playful pink. Adrien thought of how many guys would've taken the chance just to kiss her—

He shook his head and scolded himself for being such a creep. His inner Chat Noir was talking within him, urging the young Parisian to be straight-forward and be friends with her at least. But to him, Adrien is Adrien and Chat Noir is Chat Noir. The boy had an agreement to himself that he'll never ever try to mix up these two of his personas together.

Sarabella accidentally made eye contact and instantly looked away, flushed like a teenager. A petite Asian-looking woman walked towards their table, started putting down their orders and smiled at them as she left, saying a very kind yet brief _bon a petit_. The ravenette gave a shy _merci_ which she was sure that the lady didn't hear it.

She felt the piercing gaze of the Parisian model so Sarabella kept herself from looking up. Bashfully taking a bite off of her éclair, she chewed it slowly and let the indulgent taste seep through her tongue. "These-These are the best éclairs that I have ever tasted." The ravenette said with her tacky French accent, hopeful that she can make a decent conversation with the native to lessen his probable already-negative-image-of-her-and-her-home-country. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"You insisted." He smiled politely, a croissant in hand, "And besides, I can't say no to a _pretty lady's_ treat."

Sarabella cringed at the part where he called her a 'pretty lady'. Most girls, under any circumstance, would've died of joy at that moment, but she was not part of most of the girls. Instead, she groaned in agony, "Please don't be mad at me that I unintentionally called you a 'handsome boy'."

The native laughed at her reaction, "Not to worry. I'll try to forget _the Eiffel Tower Ordeal_."

"Great. Now you have a name for that incident." Sarabella wanted to dig herself a hole and die within it so she could overlook about this horrible first day. She wasn't sure if the French was just teasing her or he's subtly attacking and getting revenge on her at this point.

"I'm sorry." The blond apologized, "I was just teasing!"

_I had that feeling but wasn't sure so I reacted that way, sorry_ , is what she wanted to tell him but instead, with a faint pout that decorated her features, Sarabella said, "I know… but it's embarrassing."

"Don't be!" The Parisian smiled at her softly. "I won't-"

"A-Adrien!" A tall girl approached their table, "How are you? W-What brought you here?" She said, stammering a little upon the presence of her long-time crush.

The ravenette took in her features. Sarabella knew that girl was a lot taller than her, probably only a few centimeters away from the Parisian guy she just encountered. The girl had short black hair, in a low twin-tails and has a few random streaks of blue highlights on her side-swept bangs, which halts just until her shoulders. She has sky blue orbs for irises and a very flawless pale skin.

The Parisian girl's features struck a pang of insecurity on Sarabella's deflating ego. If every Parisian girl was as pale and as white as this pretty girl in front of her, she would probably casted out by her university community.

_Why do I have to be so tan?!_ She internally screamed at herself. _If I wasn't born in a place where the sun doesn't shine so much and is a little bit further to the equator—_

"Let's just say that a very stubborn foreigner dragged me here." Her reverie was shattered when the Parisian made eye contact with her deliberately, smiling at her like child.

It took a few minutes for her to process what he said but she understood and exclaimed, "H-Hey!"

The Parisian girl took notice of the blond's company, blinking twice, then back at the blond, then back at the ravenette. "Is she your girlfriend?" The stranger asked in a hushed voice. However, regardless of Sarabella's unfamiliarity and lack of fluency with the French language, she heard it clear enough to process what the girl had just asked.

The architect blushed and decided to not engage in their conversation. Sarabella took a huge bite of her éclair, only to regret it a little bit sooner than later.

"Ah, no. She's a friend." Sarabella heard the Parisian boy answer, "Marinette, this is... What was your name again?" Both the Parisian's attention was fully and undivided towards the foreigner.

The shocked ravenette tried to gulp her éclair to answer but fate had other plans. Sarabella choked a bit on the pastry, coughing softly, until a large chunk of the _pâte à choux_ decided to scrape her esophagus – _hard_ \- which resulted in her having a coughing fit.

The Parisian guy, luckily, asked for some water beforehand and gave it to her immediately. Sarabella gratefully took the water and took a big mouthful. She waited for a few minutes to pass, hoping that it was all a dream but it wasn't.

_Great! Juuuuust great!_ She sarcastically told herself. _First the Eiffel Tower incident. And now the Éclair incident._ The foreign girl wanted to leave the two natives, looking at her with concern, and just jump of the freaking Eiffel tower. "I-I haven't told you yet but I'm-I'm Sarabella!" She stuttered in reply to the earlier question of the attractive French, hoping that the conversation won't be awkward due to her innate gaucheness.

The Parisian nodded gradually at her, getting her tone and desperation to remove herself from the hot-seat. "This is… Sarabella. Sarabella, this is Marinette. She's a former classmate of mine back in college."

The Parisian girl beamed at her, "Nice to meet you."

Sarabella just smiled back at Marinette, her energy drained from all the chaos and series of unfortunate events that had happened to her. _It would've been actually nice to meet the natives if I wasn't so damn clumsy and awkward._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been using the word 'blonde' for the wrong reason in the past chapter, I'm sorry! So, to those who aren't aware, I'm explaining this because the more you know, right?
> 
> Blonde – term used for the ladies  
> Blond – term used for the men
> 
> It's the same with ravenet and ravenette, too, if I'm not mistaken! Anyways, please do leave a comment or a kudos if you liked the story! Merci beaucoup!


	4. Sharing a Lamp with A Red-Head

Two days have passed since Sarabella came to Paris. Her first day was terrible, to some extent, that she had miserably cocooned herself on her make-shift futon for the rest of the night whilst binge-eating on the ice cream that she picked up on the way to her apartment. The jetlag came later that evening, having the foreigner curl up to a pitiful ball on the floor.

Sarabella's father had arranged a place for her stay on the duration of her one-year program in culinary school, saying that she'd have to live on her own since she's already on her twenties. She was ecstatic by the thought of finally living on her own, much to the distaste of her mother.

However, this deemed to be more challenging than the girl would've thought. When she came to the apartment after the whole Eiffel Tower fiasco, Sarabella wanted to slam her face on the floor. The apartment her father found was not what she expected. Yes, the exterior architecture of the building was mediocre enough for her tastes but the interior of her unit was… _something_.

It was a small two-bedroom unit with a relatively normal-sized kitchen and a typical-looking living room. Thankfully, it was a fully furnished apartment with what seems to be a new refrigerator and stove-top with an oven. A ginormous 42" flat-screen television hung on the wall of the living room. The sofas and ottomans were real leather and the coffee table was elegant in design. One of the bedrooms has a double sized bed with a moldy-looking bed sheet, much to her distaste.

The wallpapers, however, were too dull and pale for her liking. _So much for the amazing furniture, these wallpapers suck,_ she thought gloomily _._ The foreigner sighed deeply at the thought of replacing the tacky ancient wallpapers that came with the place, buying a bit more décor to liven the place up and unpacking boxes and boxes of her things.

Sarabella let out an exasperated sigh, once again, when she saw what was inside the boxes - from her clothes to kitchenware to bath necessities to house decor… It was as if she'd be staying in France for good.

Having no choice but to finish up before the third day of her stay, it took her approximately eight hours to fix things up and decorate the place to her liking. The once ancient-looking apartment was turned into a neat-freak's dream interior design. Even if the place still needs more furniture, Sarabella quite liked the interior that she went for, heavily basing upon fēng shuǐ.

She contacted her family back in her home country, the Philippines, through social media and told them the good news of having her apartment fixed up by herself. She left out the embarrassing detail about meeting a certain Parisian and his friend. Her older sisters kept teasing her about failing horribly while trying to flirt with the handsome locals. The girl shrugged the topic off and telling them that she'd rather focus on studying than distracting herself on idiotic matters.

* * *

On her third day in Paris, she went for grocery shopping to stock up on her food and baking supplies. Her first day of work will start by tomorrow morning so Sarabella noted that she still have to iron her formal wear since she haven't come across a laundry shop as of her grocery shopping. Another one of the things on her to-do list was to buy creative house décor.

After her quick grocery shopping, she went back home and arranged her ingredients to where it should be on her apartment. Baking supplies in the cupboards, raw meat and fish on the freezer, dairy products on the chiller… It was already late morning when she finished so Sarabella decided to eat somewhere outside and then start her décor hunting before she get too pre-occupied with her work and school.

Sarabella slipped in a simple jade pendant around her neck, whispering to herself, "Here's to hoping that I don't bump into _handsome boy_ again." Sighing deeply, she exited her apartment and back into the streets of Paris. The foreigner made her way to the nearest shopping center, filled with paranoia that he'll bump into her by accident once again.

"Zhù nǐ chū rù píng ān." She sarcastically told herself as the stepped down the taxi. It cost her quite a few euros but she didn't cared much. Her parents had given her quite a huge amount of money to spare. While walking inside the huge building of IKEA, on Boulevard Jean Monnet, she cautiously looked around for the blond Parisian she saw from her first day. (T: May you have peace wherever you go.)

Sarabella breathed a sigh of relief when she entered, seeing that the IKEA in Paris was a lot bigger than the one back at her home country. There's no way _handsome boy_ will cross paths with her ever again. _Wow, I'm such a paranoid._ _Considering that Paris is such a big city, I shouldn't have been too cautious with meeting him again,_ she thought. The ravenette smiled at herself and proceeded to take a cart.

She planned on buying a several ornamental vases, clean bed sheets, soft pillows, some clocks, a desk lamp and a few paintings to hide the hideous wallpapers – for now. Seeing the map of IKEA on the walls, she trudged on the assigned pathways and let her eyes wander around the beautiful furniture surrounding her. "Damn, my sisters are gonna go crazy here." The young architect whispered to herself, remembering that all three of her older sisters are frustrated interior decorators.

The foreigner carried on her mission to buy the things she deemed necessary. By the second hour of her walking around the huge store, almost everything she need was on her cart already. The only thing missing is a lamp for her drafting table. Her father had her beloved drafting table shipped from the Philippines a few days prior to her arrival, only to forget to also put in her lamp so she have to buy a new one for it will be necessary when she starts work tomorrow.

A few minutes more, Sarabella found an amazing-looking lamp. The gooseneck seemed flexible enough to be able to move the head of the lamp depending upon her whims. The design was nearly the same as the one she had back at home. Sarabella reached for the lamp eagerly when a hand also reached for it with almost at the same eagerness. She instinctively jerked her back to herself, heart pounding for she expected for the worst case scenario – meeting handsome boy once again. The young woman whipped her head at the direction of the stranger and the stranger stared back at her, eyes wide from surprise.

"Oh, sorry." The stranger said to her -in French- bashfully, smiling awkwardly then scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. The ravenette took in the appearance of the Parisian, he has radiant red-orange hair that has side-swept bangs that go just above his left eye. The boy has turquoise eyes and a pale face. He towered over her easily with his height but that didn't stop him from being a gentleman towards the foreigner as he continued, "Do you want to look at the lamp closer? You can check it out first."

"No!" Sarabella exclaimed shrilly, flustered at the sudden offer. "I mean, you can look at it first. I don't mind." She told the red-head, smiling at him with the same awkward smile he gave her earlier. _Besides, it will be uncomfortable if I go first, knowing that you'll wait for me to finish and stare at me while I judge the design of the lamp_ – is what she didn't say to him.

"If you want, we can look at it together?" He suggested meekly.

Sarabella nodded and diverted her attention towards the lamp. However, focusing of the lamp did not help the atmosphere at all. She could feel his gaze pierce the core of her head, giving her a sudden pang of insecurity. Her head started rambling mindless things while she gazed at the lamp with hollow eyes. _I know I'm not pretty but you don't have to judge me in your eyes. Oh my goodness, is he really looking at me or am I imagining things? He isn't handsome boy so what do I care? I mean, Paris is a really huge city and we probably won't meet again or something… Yeah we won't meet again-_

The architect dared to slowly look back at the Parisian, only to have her suspicions answered. He _is_ staring at her. She had unexpected eye contact with him; they both reacted quickly by returning their respective gazes back at the object infront of them.

The ravenette heard him fake a cough then proceeded to say, "Y-You're not from around here, are you?"

She got a hint from his tone that he wanted to remove the awkward atmosphere and actually create a small talk. There was also a nagging feeling at the back of her head that she probably stood out too much, having Parisians everywhere to ask her if she's not from around there. Sarabella nodded slowly, "I just came here two days ago." She answered briefly, her head exploding because she knew she screwed up. He wouldn't know what to follow-up on her response, thus it will probably make their current situation more uncomfortable.

"Ah." He nodded. There was silence and Sarabella wanted to slap herself. _I knew it-_ "So, are you a foreign exchange student?" The red-headed Parisian asked gently.

"Huh?"

"I mean…" He faltered, losing confidence to speak to her upon realizing that he tried to pry on her own business. "You need a desk lamp that specializes for drawing. You're studying here, right?"

"Oh." _So, that's what he meant._ "Yes, I'm studying in university here. In Ecoles de Condé." Sarabella added wistfully. That university wasn't her top choice but it was the only one that accepted her as an irregular student. Not many had been pleased with her request but this one had acknowledged her need to become an irregular. _Beggars can't be choosers,_ dad would say, Sarabella thought.

There was a smile on the Parisian's face when she mentioned her university. "I'm going there, too." _Oh great._ Sarabella inwardly cringed at the statement of the stranger. _Too much for not seeing him again._ "What program are you in? Illustration? Film animation?" He asked with delight, his earlier bashfulness gone.

"I'm in culinary arts but I'll be needing a lamp for drafting." The young woman replied with a nonchalant voice, unfocused for the fact that she's already planning on how to avoid him on the university for the whole duration of her stay. The French stared at her quizzically, searching answers to her seemingly questionable answer. Sarabella caught on to his questioning look so she decided to continue, "I'm an architect but I'll be studying at the same time, too."

The red-head nodded in understanding, whispering to her with slight envy lacing his tone, "That's so cool…"

"T-Thank you." She stuttered, not comfortable with sudden compliments from strangers. She gazed at him once again, memorizing the details of his face. _Maybe it won't hurt to befriend him?_ Sarabella unconsciously said to herself. _Damn, why do I get to meet handsome Parisians on the worst possible scenarios?!_

The stranger smiled at her and offered a hand, "I'm Nathanaël. It's a pleasure meeting you."

"I'm Sarabella." She told him, weirded out by the fact that he offered a hand – she heard that Parisians would rather offer a _beso_ * than a handshake. The girl took it, nonetheless, and shook his hand in a formal way. "Sarabella Morin. Nice meeting you."

"So," Nathanaël let go of Sarabella's hand and smiled at her with a hint of humor sparkling from his eyes, "I guess we'll be sharing a lamp?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Beso– the Filipino culture's equivalent of a faire la bise. To those who don't know (and wouldn't be bothered to Google this hahaha), faire la bise is common in France, usually among friends and family – sometimes to strangers, too.
> 
> Doing a faire la bise is simple. Just lean forward, touch the cheeks of the other person (with your own cheeks) and kiss the air near the other person's ear (making a light kissing sound with your lips and not with your voice).
> 
> Faire la bise, or beso, is commonly done in the Philippines, too. It is frequently done with family members, relatives and friends. Giving a beso to strangers, however, is not common and is found to be weird. This mostly applies to the women. Men who give a beso are often given to their mothers, aunts, grandmothers or to any women friends (the latter are not so common, though). Men giving a beso to the same sex are sometimes frowned upon – probably implying that the guy might be gay. Gays, on the other hand, do give beso to their girl friends and gay friends – depending on how open and frivolous they are about their gender.
> 
> [I've done my research too much about French culture, hahaha. Do tell me in the review if I have made a mistake in the given facts here. I am not from France nor have I ever visited so… yeah. Writing this is a bit hard, considering that I have to look up blogs and the Wiki for references.]
> 
> I hope you guys are enjoying this~!


	5. First Day of School

Her first day at work had been very tiring but nonetheless fulfilling for Sarabella. She met a few of her work colleagues, helped in rendering a few drawings and overall made her day productive. The young woman did her best to give a good impression towards her co-workers due to the trauma from her first day. "Ah. All is well…" She whispered to herself while the side of her face was planted on her bed, her body forming a straight line across her bed. "Now I just have to create a good but not too proud impression of myself for tomorrow, too."

_Little did she know that fate, once again, have a lot in store for her._

* * *

Waking up at six in the morning, the girl got up from her bed and groggily made her way towards the bathroom. Sarabella did her usual morning routine of preparing herself for the day and then proceeded to prepare her breakfast. It didn't take her long to finish so by eight 'o clock, she packed her bag with a lot of the utensils required by the school. There were several tools she bought but had no idea how to use. She planned on practicing the use of those tools back in her home country but Sarabella ended up lazing around and taking road trips with her university friends.

The girl left her apartment a few minutes after preparing, not forgetting her jade pendant that she wore when she met Nathanaël (in which was somewhat a good thing), and reached her destination with the buses dotting around Paris. The school was more impressive than it was in the pictures, she'll give it that, but the girl can't stop comparing it from her previous prestigious university. "Geez, this is much smaller though." Sarabella complained. _The campus wasn't that huge that they make it seem_ , she carped to herself, remembering the reviews which specified that the campus was very hard to go around due to it's massive size.

"Sarabella!" A familiar voice rang through her ears amidst the chatter of the students around her.

The girl inwardly cursed her luck, profusely cursing herself with distaste. She wanted to throw the jade necklace right then and there, thinking that it's just a fraud. Sarabella willed herself to turn around and fake innocence with a tinge of a plastic smile. "Oh. W-We meet again!" She shrilly replied to him in French. _Damn it, why so early in the morning!?_

_Handsome boy_ walked towards her with a confident stride, a smile gracing his flawless face. "What are you doing here in university?" He asked nicely, surprise visible through his eyes. In her mind, Sarabella was forcing herself to not think about him as a _divine god of handsomeness_ because she might say something weird.

She looked away, answering him with a meek reply, "I'm a foreign-exchange student…" Her focus kept dwindling back and forth between fangirling from his gorgeous face and embarrassment from their first meeting.

"Really?" The blond replied, amazement lacing his tone, "I thought you're just a traveler."

She looked at him with a slight offended face. "I'm a good multi-tasker, excuse you." Sarabella blurted out casually, forgetting that he's a mere acquaintance. The ravenette realized her mistake and faked a cough, "I mean… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound too casual-"

He laughed good-naturedly, "It's okay. So, what program are you in? Fashion design?"

"Uhm.. What makes you think that?" The young architect inquired quizzically, her face warping into an unbelieving expression. She face-palmed at the Parisian's theory, _I'm a fashion disaster, wtf_. She reminisced her time back when she was still in high school. Sarabella was often teased as a 'hobo' due to her poor choice of fashion because she had never cared much about her clothes. That problem was a little bit fixed when her cousin, Christa Olivier, had begrudgingly agreed to help her – what with the pressure of bullying from Sarabella's sisters.

The native tapped her shoulder in a friendly manner, shattering her reverie. "Your clothes are as fashionable as is." He complimented.

That was the first time that a guy had praised her looks - and a handsome guy at that. Yes, she admitted that a lot of men had tried to court her but that was because she belonged to a rich family. Sarabella knows to herself that she wasn't the prettiest rose in the bunch and that compliment actually made her heart melt. "I-I'm in culinary arts. The pastries and baking program." She blushed in reply. _Freaking- Why are you reacting like a teenage girl, damn it?!_

The Parisian blinked twice, a moment of silence was shared between them as the young man processed what she had just said. "What?"

"You know…" The ravenette shrugged modestly, a little bit disappointed at the level of air-headedness that the Parisian displayed. Her face looking up, her dark brown orbs taking a peek at the _Handsome boy_. "The cooking thing where you cook cakes and-"

"No no no." He cut quickly, "I mean, you're in culinary arts? And in the baking program, _too_?"

"Oh, are you in the same program?" She inquired, her heart thumping louder and louder every second passing. _It can't be._ Sarabella mentally groaned, _he can't be in the same program!_ "Wow, that's unusual." The girl stated with forced disbelief.

She was internally having a war with herself at that moment. A part of her was happy to see at least a familiar face in her university - and in her program, at that. It was a plus that he's nice and handsome, too. However, the downside is that their meeting is not exactly the friendliest or the most romantic (what being them in the City of Love, it was expected to be romantic). He was the constant reminder of her first massive fail on her first independent travel. Talk about trauma to last a life time.

"Indeed." He nodded in agreement. "You think we're classmates?"

She wanted to ask his schedule. It was a tempting thing to do because Sarabella was secretly hoping that they won't ever have to cross paths for every meeting of her Paris university life. "Ca-Can I see your schedule?"

"Sure." The Parisian nodded and gave her a piece of card paper where a time table was specified.

Sarabella took it from his hands, careful to not touch his fingertips. She prayed for every god in existence to avoid the impending doom that will befall her if she ever has to be with him for the whole year. Taking a deep breath, she looked down at the paper. "Oh, it's the same as mine." Sarabella felt as if the heaven and earth crashed down on her.

The blond native laughed and slung his arm around her shoulders in a friendly manner, which was not hard to do so because she was nearly a head shorter than him. "You think this is a sign that we'll be best friends for the whole duration of uni?"

_Now, Sarabella felt as if she's being squashed down by heaven and earth._

"I-I have to go…" The foreigner faltered, her face red as a tomato, her heart racing faster than the fastest track athlete and her lips as dry as the Sahara desert. "The… The principal asked me to come in early for some… papers! Bye!"

With that, she walked briskly, nearly switching to a run just to avoid the Parisian.

She wanted crush the jade necklace that her mother gave her when she turned eighteen. _It will bless you with a good life_ , her mother had told her. She even wanted to slap herself for thinking that an ancient jade that came from her Chinese ancestors would help her with this bad luck. _Freaking hell, this day is worse than being stuck on a thirteenth floor under a ladder with a bag of seven broken mirrors holding an open umbrella and only a black cat as a companion on a Friday the Thirteenth_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, okay. To clarify something! Adrien is 22 years old. Marinette is 22 years old, also. Sarabella is 21! They're all grown ups but Marinette and Adrien never ceased to be Lady Bug and Chat Noir. In this storyline, however, they still haven't known each other's secret identities.
> 
> Okay, bye guuuuys~ Leave a comment or a kudos, too so I know what to improve on! Ciao ciao~


	6. Adrien's Turn

Chloe here. Chloe there.

Chloe at the College. Chloe at the Lycee. And now, Chloe at the University.

In Adrien's point of view, Chloe Bourgeois sure is a persistent slimy eel.

At this point, Adrien is completely fed up. The blond Parisian wanted to leave the whining girl alone. No matter how hard he tried looking for good qualities of Chloe, the young model can't seem to find any - even though they have been 'classmates' for so many years already. Sure, he knows that Chloe is using her father's influence to be able to switch classes and change schools, depending on where in Paris he might be. And yes, it's creepy and unsettling but Adrien is used to it. He's used to all of Chloe's over dramatic acts so why is university ever going to be different? He sighed dejectedly.

The only good thing about University is that Chloe didn't get to have the same schedule as him, even if she managed to slither her way on the culinary program.

"Adrien! Are you listening?" Chloe demanded with a pout. Adrien tried his best to not imagine her as a duck, else he'll burst out of laughter and she'd be more irritating and annoying that she is already. "I said-"

"Yes yes." He replied quickly, deciding that now's the time to run. "I got to go now. Classes are probably starting, bye!" Adrien faked an apologetic smile. With that, he walked past the moving crowd of students and ditching the blonde girl. The boy didn't dare to look back until he was nearly infront of the administration offices, on the second floor. It was already halfway from where Chloe had 'accidentally' bumped into him.

His head was looking at the direction from where he came from, his heart beating fast from his previous brisk walk. Adrien stared for a few minutes, then sighed in relief as the thought of him successfully abandoning Chloe pass his mind. "Whew. Finally…" He whispered to himself and made his way up the stairs.

" _Excusez-moi!*"_ A feminine voice cut the partly-silent atmosphere of the hall. The blond looked forward upon hearing the voice. From his angle, he could see a _dashing_ figure of Sarabella. And when he meant dashing, he _literally_ meant it. The woman was holding a file case, which was nonexistent when they had met earlier, and she was sprinting towards his direction, occasionally exclaiming ' _pardon!'_ when a student is on her way. A look of surprise was evident on the young model's face. ( _T: Excuse me!_ )

He already concluded that Sarabella is an _eccentric and amusing_ person… but he didn't know she'd be more amusing than he expected. The architect's pace didn't change whether or not there is someone walking infront of her or something is obstructing her way. The way she ran through the crowd of students and obstacles with such grace made Adrien think of how she'd probably beat Kim in a running contest.

Adrien smiled at her politely when she came nearer. Her eyes widened and exclaimed, " _Handsome boy, éviter!"_ At first, the young Agreste didn't understand why she'd order him to duck… but when she's only a few feet away, a realization hit Adrien. _Sarabella had no plans on stopping on her tracks just for him_. He quickly squatted down in panic, hoping that she won't hit his head or trip over him. If that happens, then they'll both end up in the clinic at the first day of their university life.

Adrien hit his knee on the nose of the stair causing him to curse sharply. Another realization hit him that he's on the stairs and Sarabella's running straight ahead. It was a ten-step staircase, nearly over two feet in height and four feet in length. _She'll hurt herself,_ he immediately thought. "Sarabella, stop—!" He started exclaiming but was cut when he saw the girl leap in a diagonal direction, flinging herself towards the stair-railing.

The Parisian felt time slowing down as the scene unfold. They were in the second floor, it was an eight feet drop and she's going straight to the danger zone. _She's so reckless and suicidal!_ His mind exclaimed. However, the terror that plagued Adrien was soon turned into amazement. Her right foot made contact with the metal railing, her eyes trained on the stair landing. Sarabella kicked the said object, in a matter of a split-second, bringing herself back at the air.

The girl safely landed on the floor, much to Adrien's relief. " _Mille fois merci!_ " She exclaimed, looking at Adrien and waving cheerfully as if she didn't face death while pulling off the daredevil stunt she had just did. (T: Many thanks!)

Adrien was speechless, still squatted at the stairs. Sure, he's done a lot of stunts like those with Ladybug but Sarabella's different. She's no superhero. She doesn't have the advantage of strength borrowed from a _miraculous_. "She's— She's a _weirdo_ …"

* * *

Adrien was disinterestedly looking through the planner that his secretary had prepared him. He can't even say no to any of these photo-shoots, no matter how corny the clothes and themes are. His father had specifically picked these brands and companies for him to represent. The blond fought himself to not groan out of boredom. Aside from being Chat Noir and loving his work as a model, his life isn't _that_ exciting – unlike how his fans would portray him. Indeed, he loves his work as a model but Adrien's aware that he's starting to lose interest, one of the two reasons why he insisted on attending university.

"Ohhh- You!" Adrien looked behind him, not surprised to see Sarabella walking towards him with a slightly awkward smile. He noticed that the foreigner had been giving him uncomfortable smiles ever since that morning. "We crossed paths… again!" She added warily, nearly faltering at the last part of her sentence. "M-Mind if I sit beside you?"

"Sure." He nodded. Sarabella's one of the few who had treated him like a normal person so he might as well stick with her. Adrien was also curious about her. He stared at her tanned face, searching her eyes if there's a tinge of sadness with in her. He unconsciously thought, _being a foreigner in a country you don't know must be very emotionally taxing – not that I had ever experienced that before_.

Surely, he knew that he'd have to be the first one to talk but he kept his silence, still looking at her face with a hollow stare. He made a mental list as to why she'd still probably be really wary about him. The girl didn't seem to notice his gaze -that or she's deliberately avoiding it- and Adrien was easily getting bored. "You know, I heard you call me ' _handsome boy_ ' again, earlier, _Mademoiselle_." He teased with a devilish smile, hoping to get amusement from her.

Yeah, it was a bit cruel but his inner Chat Noir was waking within. Sarabella looked fun to mess and joke around with, had she not been a bit too conscious about herself on their first meeting.

The ravenette looked at Adrien and laughed a little carefree than before, "I was running late for an appointment with the counselors so I had to sprint." She explained briefly, shrugging as if her way of 'sprinting' was like a normal thing.

"Ah, you ran like the wind." Adrien complimented. "It's amazing."

Red tinted her cheeks, followed by a bashful _merci_. "I used to run as a track athlete… and I kinda do other stuff related to that. It's fun but it's been very taxing recently."

The blond tried his best to hide his surprise. From his view, Sarabella seemed to be the shy woman who'd be interested in painting or writing poems rather than sports. She looked like it was the case until she said that she's an athlete. "Really?" He blurted out unexpectedly.

Sarabella nodded nonchalantly, replying with a dismissive ' _meh_ '.

Before Adrien ask her more about herself, the door opened to show a stout man with salt-and-pepper hair. "Hello, students!" He said with a shadow of a smile on his face. He was holding a suitcase with his right hand and a folded apron on the other. The class was silent, observing and gauging their professor's character. "I'm Mr. Boucher, your professor for your knife skills classes-"

An abrupt ' _yes!_ ' cut through their teacher's introduction, who stopped in his words.

Adrien whipped his head towards Sarabella's direction. The black-haired woman was smiling from ear-to-ear. The blond Parisian felt a very awkward tension around the room, as if every student were holding their breath. The architect blinked and looked around. She met the eyes of everyone in class, oblivious to the offended and terrified looks of her classmates.

"Yes, _mademoiselle_?" The professor asked her with a terse voice. He seemed irritated. Adrien feared for Sarabella because he heard that some professors would give a student a failing grade if they find the student too 'annoying' - despite having them excel in class. "Why did you cheered when I said 'knife skills'?"

The young model was scared that Mr. Boucher would instantly grab a knife and skewer Sarabella on the spot. He was also half-expecting Sarabella to blush hard, like she did on their first meeting, and panic. Instead, the girl scratched the back of her head sheepishly, laughing uncomfortably with all the eyes fixed onto her, "I like playing with knives."

At this point, Adrien was gaping at her. _No sane person would say that infront of a professor, or moreso, no sane person would ever admit to 'like' playing with knives_ , he thought. The blond looked at Mr. Boucher's expression. The professor's face seemed to change from irritated to interested in a matter of seconds. "Would you like to introduce yourself to us, _couteau-fille_?* And why you took the irregular classes in culinary arts?" (T: _knife girl_ )

Sarabella stood up, she smiled as she faced the class, "I'm Sarabella Morin, nice to meet you all!" The girl bowed towards the whole class with new-found confidence. It was at that moment that Adrien wanted to know more about her. It had been years since he met such an interesting person. The last one was Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Marinette would always be wary around him but she was very very fascinating to say the least. She's talented yet very humble. She's cute yet very self-conscious. She's very intelligent yet can sometimes be air-headed. It was as if the Parisian girl was a walking contradiction. The thing about the character contradiction is starting to happen with Sarabella, too.

"I'm taking culinary arts as my second-degree so I have to work and, at the same time, study here." Sarabella added to her introduction which snapped Adrien from his reverie about Marinette. He shook his head at himself for getting distracted by Marinette, of all times. The blond model turned his focus towards his seatmate, who was still talking. "And I cheered at the knife skills classes because I'm excited to learn how to hold and use a knife efficiently and effectively."

"Well, you're the first student in years to be excited about my class!" Mr. Boucher said in excitement. _The man must not get very enthusiastic students, huh,_ Adrien noted mentally. "Since Miss Morin started the introductions, might as well proceed with the rest of you. That pretty boy beside her, you're next."

He did his best to hide a sigh but he'll have to suck it up. First days of school are always the worst for him because he has to tell every single person in class who he is, which is something like putting a huge neon sign on his back with the words ' _Notice me, I'm the famous model_ '. Adrien stood up, "I'm Adrien Agreste. It's a pleasure to meet you all." He gave their professor a smile and gave his classmates a nod of acknowledgement.

Unknown to Adrien, Sarabella was eyeing him, mentally stating, _'Oh, so that's his name, huh.'_

"I'm also taking this program as an irregular student because, same as Sarabella's reasons," Adrien spared Sarabella a gaze, who blushed hard, her expression looked at if she was inwardly saying, _'What? What me?'_ "I'm working and studying at the same time."

"To think that we have a celebrity here… I'm expecting a lot from you." Mr. Boucher nodded at him and looked at Sarabella pointedly, "That goes for you, too, _couteau-fille._ "

The ravenette stood up in surprised panic and gave a salute to their professor, _"¡S-Sí, Señor!*"_ She blurted out. ( _T: Y-Yes, sir!)_

Their professor stared at her, confused, but let her slip nonetheless, "Next!"

" _Ah damn,_ " Adrien heard Sarabella mutter, the girl had her face covered with her hands while crumpling on her seat. " _My instincts are kicking back again... This is all dad's fault...!_ "

Adrien chuckled at the sight. It looked worse than when she was trying to hide her face back in Marinette's family patisserie. "Nice impression to give on our professor, _couteau-fille_." He teased her once again, a friendly tone evident on his voice.

"Shut up." She retorted without a tinge of sarcasm or hostility. Sarabella gave him a light punch on the shoulder, a faint embarrassed smile gracing her face. They shared eye contact for a few seconds, in which Adrien had set a _world record for the longest time_ that Sarabella ever looked at him directly without having the foreigner to blush deep red.

The black-haired woman suddenly had a realization and said, "Hey, I just realized. I have never known your name before."

"What?" Adrien got confused. _Surely, he'd have told her, right?_ "Haven't I introduced myself before?"

"Nope." The architect shook her head, "Today's the first time I heard your name."

" _What?!"_

"Adrien, huh." Sarabella looked towards the chalkboard infront of them, nodding to herself, "That's a _handsome name_ , _handsome boy._ " She stated with out any malice on her tone, an innocent grin present on her exquisite and foreign face. _This time, it was Adrien's turn to blush._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EEEYYYYY! A little fluff to end the chapter? Please kill me now before I get out of control with these scenes. hahahahha. (just kidding, please don't kill me.)
> 
> I'd really appreciate any comments, too, because I'll know where I'll improve on~ Thank you once again, my lovely fellow ladybugs and tomcats~


	7. Lunch...

With her hand numb from the exercises that are given in knife classes, Sarabella carefully cleaned her utensils in the sink infront of her station. _Damn, exactly when I needed my hands tonight, it decides to go numb_ , she thought bitterly. There was a project that her superiors asked for a little suggestion. The foreigner wanted to showcase her talent as early as that stage of her profession because she knows that first impressions last. That was one of the main reasons why she's wary about Adrien's constant presence on the start of her Parisian life. She's sure that he might've, at least once, thought about their meeting and he probably had laughed at her misfortunes.

Sighing dejectedly, it seems that fate doesn't want her to escape Adrien's… _friendship_. She cleaned her workspace silently, secretly looking at her classmates if she's falling behind the cleaning process. Seeing that some of them haven't even put their diced vegetables on the tupperwares given to them, Sarabella determinedly continued to clean her station quickly.

From the corners of her eyes, Adrien had finished his work with his station and was sitting casually on his seat, phone in hand. The architect removed him from her mind, mentally telling herself that he might just leave if she ignored him—

"Do you have any plans for today, Sarabella?"

She stopped from her actions and looked at Adrien with a horrified expression. _He's onto me._ Sarabella mentally screamed, _he's making efforts to befriend me. What do I do? What do I do? WHAT DO I DO?!_

The Parisian smiled at her genuinely, "Want to grab lunch together?"

"Eh… Uhmm…" The girl hurriedly made a list of pros and cons in joining him for lunch. "Sure! Why not?" She reluctantly agreed in a shrill voice. It seemed to please Adrien a lot, putting a huge amount of pressure on Sarabella's shoulders. Knowing that the man is looking forward to their lunch means she need to put effort into not fucking up the opportunity given to redeem herself.

Adrien waited for her to finish cleaning up her station, much to Sarabella's embarrassment. "He's too nice." She mumbled to herself in complete discomfort. The last one to be _that_ of a gentleman to her was her childhood friend – and he doesn't count.

* * *

Sarabella's eyes nearly popped out of her face. Adrien was stinking rich, what with his limousine waiting for him at the front of their university. The architect hypothesized, at one point or another, that he's probably financially capable but with this level of luxury – Sarabella remembered her life back in her home country. The lavish way of life is once again trying its best to pester her. It was one of her reasons why she left her home was to try and live like a normal middle-class citizen.

The boy opened the door for her and she just stared at him, her horrified expression once again plastered on her face.

Adrien returned her disturbed look with a confused face, "Have you not been in a limousine before?" He asked in a gentle inquiring tone.

Sarabella shook her head and quickly went inside, her face as red as a tomato. _You've done it! Great job, Sarabella!_ She inwardly thought with sarcasm and self-depreciation. _You probably made Adrien think you're stupid._

The blond sat beside her, his levels of concern for Sarabella rising. Sighing, the boy decided to pry a little bit more, "Are you okay?"

The foreigner flinched at the sudden question. She debated whether or not she should tell the truth or tell a white-lie to him. Deciding that the former will probably be the best answer, she shrugged, "Y-Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that… I remembered my life back in my home town."

The handsome native can only look at her with inquiring eyes. He's curious as to what her story is. Earlier in class, she was actually talking to him normally. However, when he asked to have lunch together, it seemed as if the winds took a different turn. _Yep, definitely contradictory like Marinette_ , he thought.

The Parisian brought her to Hôtel Plaza Athénéé, one of the most famous places in Paris. It was a risk to bring the girl into Chloe's own lair but it was worth the shot. Adrien wanted to thank Sarabella in an indirect manner for not seeing him as the 'celebrity' he is. The girl's eyes were sparkling as she looked around, taking in the glamorous décor.

They were directed in the restaurant of the hotel, the foreigner gave out a low whistle and mumbled to herself, "Wow, this restaurant is _nice_."

The blond gave out a soft chuckle, happy that the girl appreciates the place, "Well, it's one of the best restaurants in Paris." He informed her with a genuine smile gracing his handsome features.

Adrien politely pulled a chair for Sarabella and gestured for her to sit. "Oh, t-thank you." The ravenette said, taking the seat whilst blushing like a tomato. The native was about to ask something to the girl when a waiter greeted them. He gave both of them the menus, recommending what to eat and generally entertaining Adrien and Sarabella.

By the time the two were done picking out their orders, the waiter left them 'to enjoy the company of each other and enjoy the rest of their stay in the restaurant'. Immediately after the waiter was out of earshot, Adrien can't contain his curiosity and asked, "I take it that you're from Spain?"

"Eh?" Sarabella stared at the handsome Parisian, confused at his unexpected question.

The girl's confused face made the blond self-conscious. He internally made a mental note to keep his dumb questions to himself. In attempt to redeem himself from embarrassment, he stated, "You said ' _si, señor'_ earlier at class. Isn't that Spanish?"

His explanation made the Sarabella's lips tug upwards, a small smile present on her face, "Ah, I'm from the Philippines. It's some small country in Southeast Asia so you probably haven't heard of it."

Adrien racked his brain to remember whether or not he has visited the place before. A mental image of a peaceful sunset on the beach suddenly appeared on his mind, "Oh, I've been there for a few days, some time ago, for work. I think it was in… Batangas province? It was a nice place."

"Oh." The architect gaped at him, as if his statement was still processing. "Oh, that's great!" She smiled once again then her brows furrowed, "Y-You… You didn't get annoyed with the traffic, did you?"

Adrien was torn whether or not to directly complain about it. It was one of the experiences he can never forget because the traffic from Manila to Batangas was hell. Not that he would admit that out loud, especially infront of a native from the said place. "It was… a _new_ experience." He decided to say, playing it safe in any case that Sarabella takes offenses deep to her heart.

The girl sighed despairingly, "It's annoying, to be honest." After that, there was silence. Adrien didn't know what to say next due to the fact that the conversation suddenly ended. He eyed Sarabella, his mind thinking of questions that may not seem to invasive of him. The Parisian was about to speak when the architect looked at him with slightly curious eyes, "So, what work do you do?"

Adrien was confused at her question. Had she not been paying attention earlier at Mr. Boucher and his conversation during introduction? "I'm a…" The blond hesitated. A voice in his mind ushered him to state the truth about himself, instead of telling a white lie to the ravenette. "… a model."

"That's amazing." Sarabella nodded, her face lighting up with delight. In a split-second upon her action, Adrien was scared that she'll turn into someone like Chloe who'd do anything to use him as a tool for fame. The architect took her wine glass and took a sip of the flavorful red wine given to them by the waiter. "My cousin is also a model here in Paris. She's very pretty..." She stated, a tone of slight envy lacing her voice when she said the last part. "I think she's famous, too."

With that reason, the boy was greatly relieved. "You're very pretty, too." Adrien blurted out unconsciously, smiling at her nonchalantly. Sarabella stared at him, her face blazing red from a heated blush.

After a few seconds of silence, the blond realized what he had just said. His eyes wandered around everywhere but the girl. He stuttered, not daring to look at her straight in the face from the embarrassment. "I-I mean- Uh. Yeah."

* * *

_PB: Smooth talking Adrien!_

(｡・/ / / u / / /・｡)


	8. ...date

_Adrien just called me pretty. I'm sure he didn't really mean that, did he?_

_Wait, how many boys have called me pretty over the course of my twenty-one year old life? Let's see…_

_Roma always calls me pretty… But that's because we're childhood friends, so it doesn't really matter much._

_Then there's dad. Of course he'll call me pretty. It's like complimenting your reflection in the mirror so he doesn't really count, too._

_There was a very close friend of mine back in high school… What was his name again? Aaron? Or was it spelt Aeron? We have a tight-knit relationship like siblings so he doesn't count either._

_So… Adrien… Adrien's compliment counts a lot?_

_Oh my god, what did I do to deserve being called 'pretty' by a handsome Parisian? And a model at that!_

* * *

Sarabella meekly whispered, "Th-Thank you?" She looked away, gulping at the, once again, awkward atmosphere between them.

Adrien restrained himself from groaning audibly due to his major slip up. He realized how uncomfortable the foreigner might have been. He was never good with girls. Sure, he's got girl friends like Marinette, Alya and even Juleka, if she counts him as a friend, but that's different from his current predicament. That was back in Lycee and they were all a bunch of teens.

Here in University, Adrien knows that it's a different thing. He had heard all sorts of stories from Nino that University is a good place to look for hot girls and basically try for a fling - if he's more serious with love, then try for a relationship. The blond admits that he's been eyeing a lot of girls but that's only due to the fact that his standards have skyrocketed ever since his modeling career boomed at the end of his Lycee years.

However, it's true that Marinette's beauty is timeless, he must admit. Whenever he looks at her, he just can't seem to remove his eyes from her face whenever they meet… But as beautiful as Marinette may look, he just see her as a friend and she only see him as vice versa, right?

And Ladybug… His precious Ladybug has got the most amazing sky-blue eyes. Her smile always makes his stomach filled with butterflies. And no, not akumatized butterflies but butterflies of love. It's harrowing that, despite the years of partnership, Ladybug is still not prepared to show him her real self.

It's alright, he can wait forever.

_It's Ladybug._

She's the most _amazing_ woman he's ever met and he's not going to let her go so easily.

Adrien couldn't possibly try for a fling, right? Nino can't be serious. He's inlove with Ladybug. It has been for six years now.

_But what is he doing with Sarabella?_

Bringing her out in Hôtel Plaza Athénéé and calling her pretty? Isn't that called a fling already? Adrien wasn't so sure himself if he's still going on the friendly route with her.

Why is he being so _bold_ and… very _quixotic_ around her?

Shrugging the long thought, Adrien tried his best to create a small talk that might help lighten the situation up. "H-How do you find Paris?"

With a soft but still audible voice, Sarabella replied, "People are very graceful and elegant." The woman shyly looked at him for a second and her eyes quickly flitted down to her food. "I feel that presence on nearly every person here. It's very different from the cheery and out-going atmosphere that I feel whenever I spend time in Spain..."

"You went to Spain?" He blurted out in surprise. Spain has been one of his go-to destination ever since his father had once offered him a photo-shoot for Marinette's debut as an official apprentice of the famous Gabriel Agreste. It never happened due to personal reasons. Adrien pushed the thought aside, sighing with slight jealousy but he kept a light expression. "Ah, I'm envious! I've always wanted to go there!"

Sarabella gave out a humble smile, explaining, "My dad's half-Filipino and half-Spanish. Despite his busy schedule, he always brings me and my family to Spain every half of the summer to ' _reconnect'_ with our roots."

"So that's why you know Spanish! That's so cool."

"Ahh, _a otro perro con ese hueso."_ The ravenette shook her head inconspicuously, an action that made Adrien's heart flutter for a moment. He didn't understand what she said but the mere movement and expression from her face made him focus solely on her. (T: You're pulling my leg.)

 _What are you doing?_ He questioned himself. Was he attracted to his classmate? It can't be. The blond Parisian pushed the thought away, trying his best to focus on the conversation, not the person, not his weird erratic emotions.

Due to his somewhat sudden silence, Sarabella took this time to realize that she switched tongues infront of another person. "Oh, I'm sorry!" She apologized quickly, cursing herself for being too careless.  
"If I switch languages every now and then, please forgive me. I'm very confused with my tongues."

Removing every inch of thought of attraction towards Sarabella, Adrien focused on the more pressing matters of his curiosity. "How many do you know?"

"I think I'm at my fifth one with French?"

Eyes wide from surprise, he exclaimed incredulously, "Those are a lot of languages…"

"I know…" Sarabella nodded, a blush slightly dusting her cheeks, "Having different ethnicities is hard but it's fun because I turned into a polyglot. I get to insult my enemies on their face without them knowing about it."

"Thanks for the tip." Adrien leaned forward while he laced his fingers together and rested his chin on his hands, an unconscious Cheshire grin made its way on his face, "Now I know why I shouldn't get on your bad side, Sarabella."

The foreigner laughed at his statement, "Oh... Well… I'm sure you're a nice guy. Despite you being the walking proof of my first fail here in France."

The blond leaned backwards and shrugged nonchalantly, "People get bad days, you had yours upon your arrival."

"Hey," The ravenette smiled lopsidedly but she raised her eyebrow in attempt to act like she took offense, "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Nothing, nothing!" The handsome Parisian chuckled, waving his hands in a dismissive manner. "Can we start over, classmate?"

"Sure, seatmate." Sarabella smiled humbly, her dark chocolate eyes meeting his gorgeous green eyes without fear or embarrassment from the past incidents.

"Nice to meet you, Sarabella Morin." Adrien said, offering his hand for a handshake.

To his absolute surprise, the black-haired foreigner stood up and pulled him towards her, giving him a faire la bise on each cheek, "Same goes to you, Adrien Agreste." The ravenette whispered, "It's a pleasure to be your acquaintance."

Adrien knew Sarabella is something for never in his whole life had he blushed so hard over a simple _faire la bise_. And that's saying a lot.


	9. Eyes Closed

Running around the city and meeting her project managers was tiring work. Sarabella couldn't be more than happy to be back to the comforts of her apartment. It doesn't feel like home yet, however, she liked the current silence of being alone in her own space. She proceeded to her room and stopped at the mirror. Sarabella smiled to herself, the stillness in her apartment was unnaturally deafening yet it solaced her. One of the things she doesn't miss from her home country was the vivacity of her sisters.

Sarabella was the youngest of four siblings. It was natural that she was the one being pushed around, bullied verbally and inferior to her sisters. She was the last child and they deemed that Sarabella has the least power on the four of them.

The eldest sibling, Mirasol, is the most rebellious between all of them. Tattoos, piercings, multiple boyfriends, name anything that parents would be horrified to see their child with, she's probably had tried or used one of those. She has the sharpest tongue when giving out insults, much to Sarabella's misfortune. Even if she's a rebel, Mirasol can be disciplined when she wants to. She's the athlete and martial artist among them. Karate, Judo, Taekwondo, she can do it and she can finish off multiple opponents within a short amount of time. Her name translates to ' _sunflower'_ yet her personality screams ' _venus fly trap'_. Mirasol would always find the irony funny.

The second child, Julianne, is the bossiest between all of them. She's always been a controlling dictator, telling people how they should act, how they should look and how they should _think_. Mirasol and her would always clash but when it comes to Sarabella, they'd always be a team against her. She was the smartest, too, so her superiority and pride has always been up the roofs. She knows the name of many historical figures, she can manipulate formulas after formulas in mathematics and she can mix and combine the elements in the periodic table to create certain products. Medals after medals, trophies after trophies, she's always been the genius one.

The third and second to the last sibling, Merrilyn, is the laziest between all of them. She's always been good in bed, that is to say, when sleeping. She can laze all day without feeling any guilt or remorse for not doing anything. She'd always task Sarabella to do her homework and bring her things when going to school because she _can't be bothered_ to bring them herself. Despite the lack of motivation to do work, she's the prettiest out of all the Morin sisters. Boys, and sometimes girls, would flock her even when she's half-assed her make-up or wore two different shoes to school. They'd always find a way to give her compliments and shower her presents. There's not a day in Merrilyn's life does she have to be insecure about her looks.

Then there's Sarabella. Touching her cheeks and scrutinizing her facial features, the ravenette stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was a mediocre athlete in the track. Her parkour skills were not considered important by her family. She barely even passed mathematics and physics when she was in college. And she isn't very _pretty_ when compared to her sisters.

She was… mediocre, unexceptional and normal.

No wonder she ran off to France. No wonder she ran away from the stage where her sisters shone in the limelight as she disappeared in the shadows. _What am I doing in Paris anyway?_ Sarabella asked herself. _Am I really doing this for myself or am I doing this so I can proudly shove it in their faces that I've done something better than all of them?_ Sarabella forced back a sob as the realization of her purpose hit her like a cold, hard brick. She wasn't there to follow her dreams. She wasn't there to be a great architect or be a great chef. She just wanted to become the best at something - something that her sisters can never be good at.

_And it disgusted her._

Sarabella would never have thought that her inferiority complex would stretch to a point that she'd unconsciously make decisions for herself, only for the reason that she wanted to prove them wrong. Even if it's just a tiny sliver of hope that she's bested them at _something_.

The foreigner fought off the tears that were dangerously trying to fall down her eyes. _I can't breakdown, not now, not ever_ , she told herself. _You'd be the crybaby they'd always tease, Sarabella._ It was a losing battle and she knew it. She crumpled on the floor and cupped her face with her hands, the tears streaming down her cheeks like a river flowing endlessly down its path.

Riiiing. Riiiiing.

The sound made Sarabella jerk her head up. It was her phone. She sniffed, wiping the tears of her face while reaching for her phone. The ravenette calmed herself for a few seconds before answering the videocall. With a fake smile, she greeted her family, "Hey, dad, mom, you three."

Mirasol moved her head closer to the screen, a smirk forming on her pierced lips, "Are those tears in your eyes, Sarabellita?"

Julianne sniggered, mocking Sarabella with a condescending tone, "Boo-hoo, such a crybaby."

With a lazy 'awww', Merrilyn added fuel to the fire, "Did your boyfriend there in France dump you already?"

"S-Shut up!" Sarabella stuttered, a frown etched on her face. _Oh, how she wanted to punch those three._ "A dust particle flew in my eye, you idiots." She lied then changed the topic to avoid further discussion of her being a 'crybaby' and the non-existent boyfriend. "How are you guys there?"

Her mom took the gadget from her sisters and answered her, "We're fine, sweetie. How are you? The neighbors aren't mean to you or anything, right?"

Sarabella let herself give out a dry laugh and answered no. A few seconds later, the ravenette then shrugged. "Well… I've never really talked much to them, aside from that old lady that's up a floor from mine. She really needs to move on a lower floor. Her groceries will be the death of her." She told them, eyes sparking with concern for her poor neighbor. "Can you guys imagine that? A seventy year old lady bringing up four bags of groceries to the fourth floor!"

"Well, what'd'ya know! Sarabellita's being such a nice neighbor." Mirasol started.

"You could've helped us with our bags when you still lived with us before!" Julianne added.

"Yeah, little sis, you could've been our slave!" Merrilyn finished.

Their father shook his head, "Girls, shush. Don't treat our _bunso*_ that way." He scolded the three, a disapproving look evident on his aged face. _(TL: "Last Child"; A Filipino endearment and title given to the last child in the family)_

"So, any boys annoying you at school?" Sarabella's mother asked, her face frantic for an immediate answer. Sarabella opened her mouth to reply when her mom added in panic, "I heard that French men are notorious smokers! You should always wear a mask. Don't date a chainsmoker, alright?"

The girl sat on the edge of her comfy bed, leaning down to her pillows as she smiled at her mother, "Mom, there are no boys in university who are annoying me. It is true that people here, in general, love smoking… but not all the people and it's basically the same thing in the Philippines. I'll be fine."

"Oh, honey, I remembered." Her mother added, "Roma is going to France for a while; give him a kiss or two from me!"

Sarabella gave out a long displeased groan, "He's coming here? Like… In Paris? Right now?!"

"I've talked to him a few hours earlier and he said he'll be leaving Spain tomorrow." From her father's words, the architect calculated the estimated time he'll arrive in France and realized that Roma will probably be at her doorstep in a few hours. _That is, if dad gave my address-_ "I gave him your address so he can find you."

Using her unoccupied hand, she unconsciously face-palmed at the notion of her father. "Way to go, dad."

"Hey, he's always been a good boy. I'm perfectly sure that he'll take care of you when he's there."

She raised an eyebrow, replying sarcastically, " _Wow._ I feel the support. You guys didn't even ask whether or not I can take care of myself here."

"You're alive, aren't'cha?" Mirasol laughed dryly.

"Yeah, you aren't dying anyway so we don't feel the need to ask!" Julianne added indignantly.

"You can contact us when that happens, though. We'll be there and I'll laugh at your misery." Merrilyn finished sadistically.

"Girls!"

Heaving a deep sigh, Sarabella rolled her eyes due to irritation to her family. "Dad, Mom, I need to go." She stated, face void of any happy emotions. The ravenette was full of their supervisory attitude and harsh comments _._

 _I'm twenty-one, for god's sake!_ She cursed in her mind. I'm an adult with a full-time job and they're treating me like a fragile little baby.

"Sarabellita, look, your sisters are just missing you-"

"I'm _tired_." She emphasized, "I should get some sleep before I start with work again."

"But Sara-"

Sarabella did her best to act mad at her family, intensely adding stress to her words to guilt her parents. " _Mom_ , I need to _rest_."

Her mom sighed, "Alright. Sleep tight, pancakes."

"Yes yes." She ended the video call, threw her phone a few inches away from her and closed her eyes shut. " _Well that was a disaster._ "

* * *

Paris, France is such a beautiful place to appreciate around morning until midday – save it for the evenings where one can experience a mystical and romantic ambiance. Even for natives who grew up in the place, it is still a wonderful sight to behold. Sarabella, a foreigner who moved in on the city for a few weeks now, had no time to appreciate her surroundings.

Sweat trickled down her brow as she dashed across the streets of Paris, careful to not be run over by incoming cars. "Ah, shit shit shit!" She cursed continuously as she looked at her wristwatch. It was almost nine and she can't afford to be late in her first period. It was Mr. Boucher's knife classes. He punishes late students by making them sing and dance, infront of the whole class, the latest children's jingle from television commercials. It was a humiliating punishment; Sarabella would rather not be the subject of shame at such an early point in time.

By the time she was situated at the front door of their room, the ravenette's chest was heaving. She mumbled a short desperate prayer, holding her jade necklace close to her heart and opened the door slowly.

Sarabella was confused of what she saw. The room was scarce of students, no Mr. Boucher can be seen. A small group of her classmates formed infront of the room. They eyed her for a bit; some smiled and waved their hands to acknowledge her. She nodded and waved her hands back with a polite smile. Looking around the room, she saw an occupied Adrien, sitting on his designated seat with his phone in hand.

The architect made a beeline beside him and sat down on her seat, unable to process the lack of students in their room. With her chest still catching up on air, Sarabella rested her face on the marble countertop of their tables. "Where's Mr. Boucher?" She asked the blond model beside her.

Adrien didn't know how to respond. He texted her thirty minutes prior, to their first and only class in the morning, that their class president got a message from Mr. Boucher. Blinking twice, the Parisian model gave out a confused smile to the tired woman. "You… didn't get my text, didn't you?"

"What text?" With Adrien's words resonating in her mind, Sarabella started sifting through her bag, looking for her phone. She pulled out the device after a few seconds of blindly groping all of her things.

The blond looked at her blush as she silently read his message. Adrien wasn't sure how to _properly_ text girls- considering that the only girl he text is Natalie, his father's long time secretary- so he tried to be friendly and polite. He was half-formal and half-informal with it, not wanting to sound too buddy-buddy and not too distant with her.

If he remembered correctly, his text was as followed: _Lut*, Sarabella. Mr. Boucher isn't going to class today so no classes! He texted the pres. Said he's sick & is not attending classes today. Biz** _[TL: _Lut_ = Shortened version of "Salut" = Hi; _Biz_ = Bisous, bises = Somewhat of an equivalent of 'xoxo' or hugs and kisses]

Adrien kept his smile then proceeded to poke Sarabella's head as a sign of jest. "You ran through the hall ways again, didn't you?"

The ravenette faked some sobs while recollecting her panic-filled morning, making teary eyes to exaggerate her story, "Woke up at eight fifteen, took a combat shower and practically shoved everything in my bag before zurg-rushing through the streets of Paris…"

The native frowned at her story. "And you arrived at school at… 9:14?!" He wasn't processing her whole story at all. She can move that fast when she wants to? Adrien knows how far Sarabella's apartment is from their university but one hour for preparing and traveling to the school was insane. The other Miraculous holders were as fast as he and Ladybug when it comes to running, and that's saying something because they're superheroes, yet he still can't put his mind at ease. _Sarabella really is something._

"Achievement…!" She put her hands up in the air, celebrating her misfortune of rushing through Paris in attempt to not be late while their teacher had no qualms in taking a day off to get well.

"You'll survive in a zombie apocalypse, mademoiselle." Adrien commented at her skill in running. He then remembered that Sarabella said she used to be a track athlete and she's proving it.

The blond heard a loud and lazy yawn from his seatmate, "Can I sleep here?"

"Don't you wanna to go back to your apartment?"

She cushioned her head with her arms, an attempt to use it as a comfy pillow, "I'll just get the urge to continue my project." Sarabella gave Adrien a soft smile before closing her eyes, probably on the way to dreamland.

He stared at her almost-sleeping figure. Her hair was disheveled but it suited her. Her eyelashes were as curved as before but it suited her. Her lips were chapped and dry, probably from all that running, but it suited her. _Ah, those full lips… He can just easily lean in and-_ His heart skipped a beat upon realizing that he's _gazing_ at her for too long, as if he's memorizing every part of her face.

 _Adrien, stop. Sarabella's only a friend._ He mentally scolded himself, hand placed on his face to conceal his blush. And s _top being such a creep. You can't—shouldn't kiss her._

His inner meltdown was interrupted by a classmate of theirs. Her hair was platinum blonde, eyes were a sparkling pair of cerulean blue. Her name was Dana Loiseau, if he wasn't mistaken. He's had a decent conversation with her before concerning fashion and, kudos to her, she knows a lot about it. She was also the very few in their class who'd talk to him without blushing or trying to contain a squeal.

"Hey, Adrien, wanna join us? Erin found an amazing karaoke place!" Dana said, eyes expectant of a quick answer. "You can bring your _girlfriend_ , too." She mocked, looking at Sarabella. When the ravenette not responding, she pouted and brought her gaze back at Adrien.

"I'll pass, Dana." Adrien replied politely, "Enjoy your trip…"

His reply drawled out a disappointed 'aw' from Dana. He noticed that a brunette has perched on Sarabella's other side. It was Erin Sirois, Dana's best friend. She was poking the sleeping foreigner in the head none too gently, "You look zonked out, Sarabella." He knew that Erin is very approachable and he knew that she can be very buddy-buddy with everyone easily. Adrien just didn't know how to respond to the crisis he's facing.

Sarabella might be already asleep and he didn't want her to wake up anytime soon, considering that she's been so tired from running and he also didn't want to turn off probable friendship with other people in their class, knowing that they'll be working together as a block for the duration of the year.

As Adrien opened his mouth, Sarabella whipped her head towards Erin and slapped the brunette's hand away from her head. "Quit poking me, Erin. Ugh, let me sleep." She groaned in desperation. However, Erin smirked and her hands made way down to the sides of her abdomen, tickling her as roughly as possible. "AH! Brûle en enfer!" Sarabella screamed while standing up from her seat. [TL: Burn in hell]

"Stingy." Erin pouted. She watched the ravenette squeeze in between Adrien and Dana in attempt to hide from her clutches. The foreigner leaned her head on the blond's shoulder without context. Adrien peeked to see what she was doing, purely out of embarrassment, and saw that she was trying to sleep once again. "What happened to your girlfriend, Adrien? _You two stayed up_ _all night_?"

Adrien let Sarabella lean against him, knowing that she needs sleep badly. He shook his head gently, trying to minimize his movement for Sarabella's comfort. "Sarabella's not my girlfriend and… I really have to pass." He explained to Dana and Erin. "I have photoshoots today and I can't use up too much energy."

"Right." Dana answered, suspicious of his real agenda but she let him slide. "I forget you work 'till your photographer is happy with the pictures."

"Yep."

The blonde shrugged, "Well, next time then. And two you aren't going to have the _pass cards_ next time just because of your jobs!"

Adrien smiled, "Sure." He's happy that his classmates understand that work needs to come first.

Erin gave out a sinister laugh, standing up from her seat, "Don't try to do _something else_ in here, okay?"

"Wha-What?" The Parisian model asked, feigning innocence, "What are you talking about?" He knew exactly what Erin was talking about and he didn't like it. Never have he ever thought of anything… _unchaste_ to girls he meet in his life. That's just sick and he isn't going to be like that.

"Adrien, don't ever try an unconscious victim!" The brunette said shrilly, her laugh resonating through the classroom.

"Shut your mouth, Erin! I'm sleeping!" Sarabella cried out, turning her head towards Erin to glare at the smiling Parisian.

"Keep one eye open, Sarabella!"

Dana shook her head and walked towards the door. "Erin, stop teasing those _lovebirds_." She told her friend, a smile gracing her face as she emphasized the last part.

"You guys…" Adrien sighed, "Enjoy your karaoke time."

"Please wake me up when if you need to go, Adrien." Sarabella moved back to her seat and did the same thing with her arms, cushioning her head once again. "Don't hesitate to slap the back of my head if I can't wake up."

"You're spouting nonsense, Sarabella. I would never do that." He consoled her, "I think you really need that sleep."

"You can call me Sara or Bella if my name's being too much of a mouthful." She smiled at him again. Adrien's heart did a flip. He forced himself to not blush while Sarabella was still staring at him. The blond made a mental note of sorting out his confused feelings sooner, not later.

"Alright alright, _Bella_." He nodded at the ravenette, enunciating her new nickname affectionately, awkwardly patting her shoulder in attempt to not seem awkward around her. "Go to sleep."

"Merci, Adrien." With one final yawn from Sarabella, Adrien was enveloped in silence and realization. _He's crushing for his foreign friend and he's crushing on her hard._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I HAVE RETURNED WITH A NEW UPDATE!
> 
> Let me just tell you all that I cannot believe myself that I wrote a chapter with 3,500+ words in just a few hours. I'm sorry for updating irregularly, that's just me being a responsible architecture student because, my god, do I need some sleep. Plus! Art and literature can't be rushed, my half-assed excuse everytime, and I love you all so you guys don't deserve to be presented with a rushed and sloppy chapter!
> 
> On another note, please do tell me in the reviews if I'm hastening Sarabella and Adrien's friendship too much. Or if you have anything to say to me or if I fucked up on a spelling or two, please do leave a comment! It means a lot to me, seeing your feedbacks and reactions to my story! C:
> 
> And please don't worry about the next chapter [I have the dialogue ready]! The tenth chapter is going to be special, perhaps I'll make it 5,000 words long, and I'll be presenting two new characters who'll interact with Sarabella, Adrien and Marinette!
> 
> Oh, and an inside info for my beloved Miraculers, *whispers* I have a document solely for the dialogue of this fanfiction and let me tell you that I have already written 9,000+ words of interactions and I can't wait to finish them and post it here!
> 
> But anyways, I'll be taking my leave now, thank you for reading and I hoped you enjoyed this chapter despite my long absence. Stay miraculous, my fellow ladybugs and tomcats!


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